Chatchart: Driver negligence caused tragic coach accident in Tak

TAK, 26 March 2014 Minister of Transport Chatchart Sitthiphan indicated on Tuesday that preliminary findings suggested the driver of the coach that plunged down a cliff in Tak had been speeding and trying to overtake the car in front, before the coach slipped out of the curve.

30 people lost their lives in the coach incident that occurred on Monday night on mountainous terrain in Tak province. The passengers were staff at Tha Sai Luat Municipality in Tak who were on a field trip to Laos. 24 persons suffered injuries.

Mr. Chatchart said part of the cause stemmed from the driver’s negligence. However, he is having the Highways Department survey the route to create a new design that would reduce the chance of accidents in the future. Land Transport Department engineers will also be inspecting the route.

The minister then visited survivors of the accident and relatives of the deceased at Taksin Maharat Hospital, which was encountering the problem of insufficient space in the morgue.